[EDIT 20170420: Upgraded script to version 1.1. No functionality changes, but added instructions to download+install unlimited strength policy .jar files to allow the use of even stronger ciphersuites such as TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256.]
This post releases a new script, secure_agent_ciphersuites.sh, which uses EMCLI to set the SSLCipherSuites agent property on all EM13c R2 agents to the value “SSL_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA”, in order to lock agent endpoints down to HIGH strength ciphersuites. By default, EM13c R2 agents allow two MEDIUM strength ciphersuites in addition to the one HIGH strength: SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_MD5:SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA. If you login to EMCLI as SYSMAN and have preferred host credentials configured, then run this script, it will identify all of your agents, set SSLCipherSuites as needed, and restart agents to bring them into compliance.

This script supplements my existing script to lock down EM13c agents to TLSv1.2 and configured your agents in a way that passes the security checks implemented in my EM13c R2 security checkup script.

After installing the 20170531 plugin bundle patches for the 13.2.2 plugin line of EM13c R2, I noticed that the “Metrics and Collection Settings” page on all of my database instance targets suddenly changed, and only showed about 10 metrics, compared to the dozens usually displayed. I also noticed a related symptom, that various metric collections resulting in a warning status that appeared as events suddenly lost the “Reevaluate metric alert” option on the Incident Manager page, which I use to clear alerts when, for example, OS audit files take up enough space to flag an alert.

To recover the “reevaluate metric alert” link and the full list of metrics on the settings page, I re-applied my database monitoring template to my database targets. That brought everything back to working the way it did before. I have not investigated the root cause of this issue, and I don’t know what an admin should do if they encounter this problem but do not use monitoring templates. I assume that some kind of metadata refresh occurs when applying templates which allows the OMS to process them correctly after the version upgrade with the plugin bundle patches.

I have written before about having my whole genome sequenced through the Personal Genome Project and releasing my results to public domain, and about third party data analysis available for people who have access to their raw whole genome sequencing data. I recently learned of a new option for consumer WGS raw data analysis, called Genomic Explorer. This new tool provides analysis and interpretation of consumer DNA data, including both SNP chip results as from 23andMe or AncestryDNA, and also including whole genome sequence data.

Background

Not very many third-parties offer detailed analysis or interpretation of consumer genomic data. One of the most well-known, Promethease, has existed for a while but can appear overwhelming for a novice user. Individuals sharing their genome data through OpenHumans also have access to a new tool called Genevieve (see my public WGS Genevieve report here).

Now enough people have sequenced their genomes that more third-party options have begun to appear. Some, like FGC, specialize in genealogical-type analysis, others like DNA.land provide whole genome imputation based on SNP chip data and help a user to find others with matching DNA segments (GEDMatch gives us another example of relative-finding tools).

This new tool, Genomic Explorer, focuses primarily on non-medical trait interpretation (e.g. educational attainment, male-pattern baldness, motion sickness, endurance performance, caffeine/alcohol/tobacco usage behavior, personal traits like agreeableness, openness, neuroticism, and so on) for users in the United States. Non-US users may have access to medical interpretation, depending on laws in their jurisdiction. At this time, Genomic Explorer has made access available for users with SNP chip data from 23andMe or AncestryDNA, and has opened up a WGS interpretation trial limited to 30 users. After uploading my 23andMe data I followed the links to request access to the WGS trial and provided the team with a link to my public domain WGS data sequenced by Veritas Genetics as part of the Harvard Personal Genome Project. Genomic Explorer accepted me into the trial and informed me that it will take about a week or so to import my WGS data, so I do not intend to write a full review of the tool at this time until I have had a chance to run it against my whole genome. In the meantime they offer access to a demonstration using sample data.

Who can participate?

I contacted the Genomic Explorer team to ask for more details about their offering and who can participate. Their response:

– 23andMe & Ancestry.com users can upload the genome data and use GENOMIC EXPLORER for FREE.
– For existing WGS data holder, the company is offering the trial use of GENOMIC EXPLORER with uploading your WGS for FREE (for the future, there would be some fee to upload), but the spots are limited only for 30 users. If you have your own WGS data and are interested in participating in the trial, you can reach to the team via info@awakens.tokyo.

They have not specified whether or not they could accept and process imputed whole genome data such as DNA.land provides, but I would take great care in trusting imputed data beyond a certain point anyway, so if you have both 23andMe/Ancestry data and imputed DNA.land data based on that SNP chip, I would suggest uploading your SNP chip data rather than trying to use an imputed WGS dataset.

I hope that other PGP participants, or those with Veritas Genetics MyGenome data, or those who have had FGC perform whole genome sequencing, take advantage of this opportunity to put those large data files to further use and check out Genomic Explorer. We all win as this market grows and competition comes in.

Getting started

Visit the Genomic Explorer signup page to create an account, upload your SNP chip data, and ask about the WGS trial. Processing of my 23andMe data went very quickly and I had it usable in the tool in minutes.

What’s the catch?

As a newly released service, Genomic Explorer has requested feedback on their site from trial users, via online submission and potentially a user interview via Skype. This gives anyone interested in trait analysis of consumer DNA results a chance to provide input into the design of and user experience provided by the tool, as well as a chance to potentially gain some insights otherwise unavailable to them, at a great price (free). In the future they intend to charge a fee for WGS data and I believe they will also make a move into performing sequencing directly instead of only using data produced from other sources.

Conflicts

I have no affiliation with the company behind Genomic Explorer other than participating as one of the 30 whole genome sequence trial users and offering them feedback.

Update 20181119: sold out in six hours. Visit the Veritas Genetics website and join their mailing list to receive updates on future sales.

Beginning Monday, November 19th, at 9:00AM US Eastern, Veritas Genetics will allow the first 1,000 customers who complete an order for their myGenome product (30X whole genome sequencing with interpretation) to buy at the sale price of US $199. For an additional fee of $99, you can also download your results in VCF format for your own subsequent data analysis or transfer to third party sites like GEDMatch.

I used Veritas, and paid $999 for their WGS sequencing, when I had myself sequenced for the Personal Genome Project. At 20% of the price I paid, I definitely consider this a great deal.

Per Veritas Chief Marketing Officer Rodrigo Martinez, you will know at order time if you made it in the first 1,000 or not; you will not accidentally get charged the full price if you happen to order late. See his tweet here.

Only USA residents can participate in this offer. Veritas requires a prescription from a doctor to purchase their WGS sequencing, but for the sale they are partnering with Genome Medical Inc to offer fast tracked physician signoff. See their tweet here.

Good luck!